Action related nav

Blogs

Calais Campbell left as a free agent, a move that was frankly expected long before we got to the actual departure. But that certainly doesn’t erase nine great years of Campbell as a Cardinal, both on and off the field, with the gentle giant and his cookie monster-type voice making an impact in opposing backfields and on the fan base. You wouldn’t find a nicer guy, someone who interacted with anyone that approached, whether it be at training camp or at his Big Red Rage radio shows.

Nine years is a long time. That’s a lot of hikes up Camelback Mountain and double orders at Lo-Lo’s Chicken & Waffles. I wish so badly that I could have helped bring Arizona the Super Bowl title it deserves, but I’m still proud of every second I spent here. I’m a much better person for it.

There were a lot of places where I could have started my career, but I’m so glad I found my way to the desert. I’m never going to forget where I lost my voice.

And also found it.

It’s a great read and well worth your time. Campbell takes you from the time right before he was drafted through the Super Bowl and all his years with the team.

On a personal level, I hate to see Calais go. I think I have a good relationship with most everyone on the roster, but there was no one more helpful than Campbell. From my perspective, he was a go-to guy, because he was always there. Need a comment about the big picture? Calais. Need to talk to someone after the Cards had a bad game or were in a bad rut? Calais. All those times Bruce Arians made pointed comments about Campbell needing to play better? Calais didn’t shy away. He answered, and many times, agreed that he needed to do better (Make no mistake, Campbell was brutally hard on himself when the team or he wasn’t playing the way they should, even with his generally sunny disposition.) When neither Carson Palmer or Larry Fitzgerald wanted to talk to the media after pretty significant contract extensions in training camp last season, Campbell was the one to face the cameras and talk about how important it was for the team — even at the time knowing that he too was going into the final year of his contract and that his own extension might never come.

It took Campbell a long time to earn Pro Bowl recognition, a long time to prove that he was a very good second-round pick. He was under the radar in a lot of ways, partly because he developed in those lost years of 2010-2012 when the Cards weren’t in the thick of national conversation. But the Cards knew what they had — he got a big contract in Jacksonville, but he got one in Arizona in 2012 too — and he certainly left an impressive legacy over his nine seasons in the desert.

As for his big deal, basically it is a 2 year deal.
He only counts as 10.5 million in 2017 and then balloons up to 16.5 million in 2018

Between Campbell and Malik Jackson, they have 26 million tied up for 2017
and 32 million in 2018 tie up.

Not to mention the millions they spent on other FAs these last two seasons.

This is how you play the cap to perfection. Bortles has a team option in 2018 and will be a FA in 2019, If they decide Bortles is the guy and decide to shell out the big bucks, both Campbell and Jackson could be off the books for very little dead money.

CC was a fav, came to end zone to greet fans b4 every game. Liked him a lot, brought his lunch pail. That said, he was very good, but not great or consistently dominate player. Best year was contract year. Liked that Keim built depth, Gunter, Williams, Nke get their shots, and Rucker (signed this am) and Peters still there. DL not an issue. Fare thee well CC.

JTDG,
I respect your posts. But….If the Jags release Campbell and Jackson to sign Bortles to a big contract now their cap space is eaten and they don’t have their two defensive stars. So while its a viable plan they are where the Cardinals are now. Money eaten by others and the d-line is relying on cheaper talent.

Trading for Sherman, plus what we have to put back for the draft, would erase our cap for this season. Without us even signing the rest of our free agents, which includes Wetzel. And I don’t even think that counts the signing of Rucker that happened today. Plus, we would take a cap bit of $13 million next season, when Buc and Golden are up to be resigned. Plus, we just have to assume that he will easily transition from a cover 3 to a man scheme. At that point, you might as well take the rookie who, while having worse technique than Sherman, would likely be more athletic and would definitely be cheaper.

CB Jerraud Powers—Powers, who turns 30 in July, fits right in line with the Cardinals’ off-season signings as a low budget, veteran returnee. He is coming off a season as one of the Ravens’ nickel CBs who played in 13 games (ankle injury) and recorder 33 tackles, 2 interceptions and 5 passes defended. The main issue with Powers has been his durability—he broke down at the end of his last two seasons with the Cardinals and was ineffective in the playoffs, much like teammate FS Rashad Johnson (who all is available at a position that currently is unmanned).

Here we are 8 days in a free agency where Steve Keim vowed “to be aggressive”—and unthinkably the #2 CB situation has not been addressed, nor has the RG situation, nor the #2 WR and #2 TE situations, nor the FS situation (left vacant by the departure of D.J. Swearinger), nor the kickoff and punt returner situation, nor the STs upgrade situation (aside from the best signing of all, K Phil Dawson).

Adding veterans in their 30s does little to nothing to help STs.

Making matters worse, because of Keim’s passive approach to free agency, it now behooves the Cardinals to take a CB and a FS in two of its top three picks. This in a draft where many feel the Cardinals need to select their QBOF. But, with Karlos Dansby on a one year deal, it also behooves the Cardinals to draft one of the better ILBs in this draft.

All this compounded by BA’s avowal that rookies the days are better off spending a year or two on the bench while learning the Cardinals’ uber-complex systems.

Imagine how it is going to feel if the Cardinals draft ILB Reuben Foster at #13 and he sits idly on the sidelines all year while Dansby gets all the reps.

How many of the CBs in this year’s draft are savvy and talented enough to come in and start right away at the designated attack position opposite Patrick Peterson?

Some of us, including myself, felt that the niftiest fit at CB at #13 was Sidney Jones of Washington. Alas, Jones tore his Achilles on the last drill of his Pro Day workout.

The most gifted CB in the draft is Marshon Lattimore of Ohio St. He is likely to be the first CB taken and should be off the board at #13.

Many pundits now, including ESPN’s Todd McShay, have the Cardinals taking Tre-Davious White of LSU at #13. While White is an excellent prospect, he is not, imo, one of the top 15 talents in this draft. And i wonder if he can come right in and start. He certainly can come right in and be the punt returner, an area in which he excels. But, White lacks the physical style of CB play and a press corner that the Cardinals like to covet. He has some similar traits to Marcus Cooper, as he tends to be better off playing with cushion and coming up to make plays on the ball. But, similarly to Cooper, White is not a very good tackler in run support. But he flies around and he is a fluid athlete. Teez Tabor of Florida also fits this mold and he is better ballhawk than White, but not quite as fast.

Two of the more physical CBs in this draft are Marlon Humphrey of Alabama and Quincy Wilson of Florida. In terms of overall fit, they would seem like stronger options than White.

Perhaps the most complete CB all the way around is Gareon Conley of Ohio St. He can press and he can shadow, and he’s a willing and able tackler.

In the second round, two CBs who could fit the bill are Kevin King of Washington and Rasul Douglas of West Virginia. They each bring a tenacity and physical presence to the position.

At FS…the plum of the draft is Malik Hooker of Ohio St. He has the total package. But the Cardinals would have to trade up for him and likely have to give up the #77 pick and possibly more to do so. Because so many needs have not been addressed in FA, this may preclude the Cardinals from doing so.

I have been wondering whether Jabrill Peppers’ (Michigan) skills could translate well to the role of FS. Some liken him to Troy Polamalu because of his hard charging bursts and tackling ability. But, could Peppers develop the requisite instincts and anticipation to be a good over the top cover FS?

In the second round, two FSs are very intriguing. Budda Baker of Washington and Marcus Williams of Utah. Baker is on the smaller side, but he plays big. He has outstanding instincts and football toughness, Williams is taller and has good range, but is not the enforcer over the middle that Baker is.

The good news is that this draft is deep and very talented at CB and S.

The not so good news is that the Cardinals, having drafted 2 CBs and a FS in rounds 3, 5, 6 last year, are now in the position of having to place a priority on drafting a CB and FS in the first three picks this year. Ideally, this exactly what teams try to avoid—having to stockpile at one or two positions in consecutive drafts, at the expense of neglecting other need areas and/or the BPA philosophy.

DE Frostee Rucker—the 33 year old veteran leader returns on a one year deal. Rucker was playing the best football of his career and having a superb prime-time game in 2015 versus the Bengals when he injured his knee. He has not been the same since and struggled to make plays in 2016 (13 tackles and 0 sacks in 13 games). Rucker says he is feeling healthy now and that intends to play fast this year. if he can regain his 2015 form that would be huge for the Cardinals. However, the flip side is that if he makes the team, one or two of the younger DE/DT prospects the Cardinals held on to all of last year may not make the team.

The Cardinals cannot keep 9 DEs/DTs again this season. This is one of the major reasons why the Cardinals were poor on STs, as it limited the number of ST players at other positions and created quite a STs depth problem.

One of the conspicuous flaws in BA’s approach as a HC has been his insistence of not using or drafting a fullback. One of the first moves he made when he was appointed head coach was to trade FB Anthony Sherman to the Chiefs for CB Javier Arenas. Sherman was one of the good 5th round or 6th round STs targets the Cardinals were making in past years in order to upgrade their STs (see Justin Bethel). Sherman went on to become a 2nd Team All-Pro STs player in 2014 when he registered 13 STs tackles with 4 forced fumbles and 1 fumble recovery. He’s still regarded as one of the best STs players in the NFL. Arenas, on the other hand, turned in one unimpressive year with the Cardinals and is now playing in the CFL.

Fullbacks are instrumental on STs because they serve as good lead blockers on returns, they can bust up blocks, mini wedges and make tackles on kickoffs and they are punt protectors (unlike K. Williams—still cannot believe any STs coach would put him in that role).

The Patriots keep 3 players on their 53 man roster who are primarily STs aces. The last few years that trio has been WR Matthew Slater (long-time STs captain and 4 time All-Pro), LB Nate Ebner (Olympic Rugby star) and FB James Develin (a converted LB).

As Steve Keim keeps signing veterans in their 30s who will not be factors on STs (save from K Phil Dawson—who may be the best UFA signing of the off-season), one has to wonder just how committed Keim is to turning around the 31st ranked ST unit in the NFL.

We all loved Calais. What a great spokesman : 6’8″ and a Voice like a Cement Mixer. Jaime’s right, “Who’s going to do the Rage?” He was a first round talent and was hurt by all the talk of ‘Too Tall’ to get leverage. He was proud of being from the U when it really meant something special. He was just a great guy and so unassuming for doing all the tough jobs in our D. Darren, thank you for standing up to all the vitriolic ‘slander’ some people have texted to you and thank you for keeping it off our fans’ site. A Tip of the Cardinals’ Wing to one of the great ones Mr. CC! He’s destined for our Ring of Honor.

Really hated to see the big guy go and believe our D-line will feel the loss in a big way. Having a guy with his size who could bat down balls and collapse the pocket was taken for granted and overlooked in favor of the more glitzy play of C. Jones, and Golden (who were better because of Campbell). He was the constant on our D-line that is now left with question marks and high hopes for players previously deemed not good enough to start or injury prone; I can’t remember Calais ever missing games b/c of injuries so coupled with the leadership value and personal contributions to the community, the Cards were the big losers here. The Chandler Jones contract had to come as a slap in the face and I’m sure didn’t go unnoticed by other young players. As others have pointed out, we didn’t have to lose Campbell.
Nonetheless, I am happy that Calais is getting his due with a young team loaded with potential and thank him for everything he has contributed to the team and the community. He’s leaving a big paw print on the hearts of many fans and the community.

If I could only use one word to describe Calais Campbell it would be class.

Being a long-time Cards fan (45 years and counting), as a fan I am really going to miss not seeing him line up for us next year, but I also respect the fact that this is a business and he had to do what was right for him and his family.

Best of luck with the Jags big man and thank you for all you did both on and off the field during your stint with the Cards in the desert.

Bethea plays FS. Branch and Mathieu ought to be more than capable of covering the other safety spot. Harlan Miller also showed some promise at the position late last season, and I would like to see him get another shot there.

JTDG is better at discussing specific prospects, but I think Humphrey is worth consideration in round 1, especially if we can trade down. He looks a lot like what P2 did coming out of college: a good player who needs to polish technique and relies a lot on athleticism.

In short, I don’t think we need a FS in the draft. I like quite a few CBs, even in the late rounds, but Humphrey is my favorite for this team. It would be nice to draft an ILB, but not necessary. That leaves G, WRoF (we have plenty for this year) and QBoF (both of which can be addressed in 2018)

Bethea is not a FS. He is a box safety, a la Jefferson. Bethea lacks the range, suddenness and anticipation it takes to be a good over the top pass defender. He could pop some WRs and RBs when storming the alleys from the high safety spot, but with such uncertainty at RCB, we need a rangy ballhawking centerfielder to bracket the WR to that side.

Harlan Miller played 15-20 yards behind the l.o.s. They told him just to try to keep everything in front of him. The problem with him is he’s not very swift a-foot. Yes, he made the pick on the failed flea-flicker, but that pass was a wobbling duck. Miller’s forte is as zone CB, or cushion man CB.

If we are going to take a CB like Humphrey in Round 1, it would be good to move down. Good call.

I guarantee you that Steve Keim will take a FS in one of the first 4 picks. He is very high on Josh Jones of his alma mater, for example. Josh Evans of Texas A&M too.

A draft sleeper CB the Cardinals worked out yesterday is Jeremy Cutrer (6-1, 170, 4.48, Middle Tennessee St.). Has the length and ballhawking skills that Keim covets. Cutrer will likely be a 5th round pick, possibly 6th round.

While I get the nostalgia for CC and feel some of it myself, his departure seems very Dansby-esque. He also did a masterful job of stalling last off-season (after what was by anyone’s standards a subpar year for CC) by firing his agent when the Cardinals were trying to do something about his 2016 $15.4M cap hit. Campbell played this one exactly as he wanted — he did not want to re-up with the Cardinals because he knew if he had a big year he would get more $$$ elsewhere. Fine. He wins in that respect. But Larry Fitzgerald never did that to the Cardinals. Larry kept things loyal and reasonable.CC could have done the same, but chose not to. He still would have been paid handsomely and he could have been a Arizona Cardinal for life.

Campbell did not stall by firing his agent. His agent got in trouble with the NFLPA and was decertified. Campbell was forced to get a new agent.

Oh, and spare me the part about how Fitz “never did that.” Fitz maxed out his contract leverage multiple times. The Cardinals did not want to lose him so they made it work, and it allowed Fitz to earn more money than any non-quarterback up until now. So that analogy is simply wrong.

I don’t recall Fitz ever testing the FA market. He always worked with the Cardinals to remain in AZ without ever seeing what other teams would have offered him.

Judging by the disdainful tone of your response, I guess you didn’t appreciate the fact that Fitz, even when his father and other players around the league were begging him to leave, elected to stay. And in recent years, his salaries have been very reasonable. He could have gotten more elsewhere, like CC did.

Maybe we disgree, but I think Fitz has been worth every penny of what he’s earned.

1) I have zero problem with Fitz using his leverage to the best of his ability.
2) He absolutely has earned every penny. He’s the face of the franchise. His value goes well beyond the field.
3) I don’t recall anyone ever begging him to leave. And he was very, very, very well compensated for staying (see: rookie contract 2004, extension 2008, extension 2011, extension 2015, extension 2016). He’s made more than $140M from the Cardinals and gets another $11 million this season.
4) My disdain isn’t for Fitz — it’s this thought process (from the fan base) that because it’s never come to free agency he never wielded great power over the team to get what he wanted. Again, nothing wrong with that, but it’s not like Fitz ever gave this team a discount. He absolutely got market value, a couple of times setting the market. He did nothing different than Campbell. It’s how the team dealt with the two situations.

Mitchaz–
Whoa…when did I say anything about how much we should have paid Calais? What I believe I said, was that I think we could have found a way to keep him and that the C.Jones contract was a slap in the face. My feeling is that he was the best defensive lineman we had, with his size and durability, he provided the intimidation factor we haven’t had since we lost Dockett. He is a former defensive Captain and was always a team-first guy. With his size and long arms he could bat down balls and was instrumental at collapsing the pocket, allowing C.Jones and Golden to be a very effective tandum. Often times it’s a player’s ability to be an adjunct resource, that, in and of itself makes them a valuable weapon.
And, while everyone has chosen to forget, Jones left the Patriots with off field issues of his own, that were probably a lack of maturity, but nonetheless,I have some difficulty with handing out mega guaranteed money on the hope that he will pan.
I know you are a believer in the draft, which is great in theory, but not really viable for this team with this front office since most of the players drafted in BASK tenure are even still with the team–some never making it to training camp!
I enjoy your posts but you misread me on this one!

Sorry that i misunderstood your post. So you would have put the f-tag on CC instead of Jones, right? I could see argument for that. I think that’s the only way the Cardinals could have kept CC. I like Chandler Jones, but I do not think he deserves an $85M contract with $53M guaranteed. But the Cardinals obviously do.

I guess I am one of the fans who has the thought process that Fitz has been about as loyal as a great player can get. Even when the Cardinals were bad, he didn’t ask for a trade or wait to see what other teams would offer him if he tested the FA market. There were times when I was convinced he would leave. Yet, he pleasantly surprised me time after time.

That’s why with Fitz — I have never taken anything for granted.

Maybe I am mistaken, but I think his most recent deal of 2/$22M is a hometown discount…where he wanted to give the Cardinals enough cap space to vie for a ring, and that is on top of the fact that at his age he is being asked to block inside the box 15-20 times a game—and he does it with toughness and pride anyway.

Well, when he agreed to that $22M deal on two years, I’m pretty sure he was not going to get $11M/yr on the open market. At that point, he was coming off three straight sub-1,000-yard seasons. He’s been great the last couple of years, certainly, and earned the money. But at that point, the Cards still did right by him, and probably a little more.

Mitchaz…
We are lockstep in agreement on the subject of Fitz. The Cardinals are the lottery
winners with keeping him when he could have gone anywhere, and our community is so much better for it. One year, I took my nephew to a game (family longtime Chiefs fans & season ticket holders for 50 +years) and he went home to change his Tony Gonzalez room (with it’s autographed jerseys, footballs and memorabilia) to a Larry Fitzgerald room that he’s been building since. You don’t have to be a Card fan to love Fitz, and EVERYBODY wants to see him get that ring!

Both guys have big contracts that were purposely done to have no guaranteed money and small dead money hits in 2 years. (2019)

Why ? Because with all the contracts they handed out, it will be tough to resign their QB in 2 years.

Now, you have an all in team, with a lot of highly paid FAs. You have a potentially great secondary, good receivers, a great dline, very good LBs. I think they will draft Fournette and add olineman in this draft.

So, everything will be in place for the next two years for Blake Bortles to take the Jags deep into the playoffs. If Bortles turns out not to be who they hope he is, they won’t resign him and wont need to clear cap room. But if he is, You have to open up the bank for your QB.

Because of that, you will need to release older , big money players. Thinking of that, a good team will draft young players to move into their spots. So, next year, I could see the Jags drafting Campbells replacement for 2019.

As for Campbell coming back, I will take a guess and say Campbell resigns with the cards in 2019.

JTDG & anyone…
I guess what chaps me as much as anything about losing CC, TJ,Swearinger, “because of Cap restraints” etc., is the way Keim burns money handing out guaranteed money on contracts like Greshem’s deal which is considered one of the worst contracts in the NFL this season. He got a 4 yr deal for $28M w $13M guaranteed & $16.5 guaranteed if he is on the roster the 3rd day of the league year! This will give us a big cap hit till 2019 for a TE who hasn’t set the world on fire he’s been in the NFL, isn’t known for his blocking, not especially fast, had one reception last season over 20 yards, 5 drops, allowed 12 pressures and 2 sacks as a blocker-he does have size but, come’n man?!!
I get alot of thumbs downs because of my criticism of the front office, but, please somebody justify the team sacrificing valuable defensive assets so we can afford to lock up money on these kinds of bad contracts.

Darren…
Pardon my mistake, but the excuses always seem to find their way back to issues of the Cards not having enough Cap space money to afford keeping our good players who are proven difference makers.
Sounds like you are defending Keim’s determining Gresham to be worth that kind of guaranteed money, making him the 13th highest paid TE in the NFL when his production would say otherwise. Just saying…lol, Keim’s formula for assessing value is truely “unique”.